Today I had the great honor of attending a Sustainable Development Goals (Global Goals) workshop at the Wayne State University School of Law in Detroit. The event was held at the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights and focused on how Global Goals #2, #3, #6, and #11 are relevant to the issues in Detroit. We also discussed how we can all work together in metro Detroit to implement the global goals on a local level.

Let me take a step back and talk a bit about the Global Goals in general. The United Nations General Assembly recently convened in New York in September this year and adopted 17 new Sustainable Development Goals (Global Goals) for the world to implement by the year 2030. All 193 member states came together at the UN's General Assembly in September and agreed to implement goals that focus on health and wellness, food security, access to justice, safe housing, and more. These goals are in essence a continuation of the Millennium Development Goals that were adopted by the General Assembly for the years 2000-2015.

The new Global Goals are a deep reflection of the state of the world today and the kind of world we all need in order to have a full, healthy quality of life. The Global Health Initiative of the Henry Ford Health System partnered with Wayne State University School of Law in order to begin the important conversation of how the Global Goals fit within the framework of local communities in America.

Since the focus was on health, Henry Ford thought it was most appropriate to focus on Global Goals #2 (Zero Hunger), #3 (Good Health and Well-Being), #6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), and #11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities)

We discussed whether the goals were relevant to local communities in Detroit and whether these goals in particular need to be modified to fit Detroit's needs. We also began to develop action steps guided by SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results-Focused, and Time-Bound). We even added to the group of sub-goals outlined in Global Goal #11. We added that in Detroit we need to work on reducing violence and increasing violence prevention in order to create healthy, safe and sustainable neighborhoods in Detroit.

There were a variety of professionals present for this discussion from Detroit area NGOs, Wayne State Law School staff, Henry Ford Health System staff, and Detroit Public Schools. I was there on behalf of the United Nations Association of Greater Detroit. We are one of many chapters of the UNA of the United States working to raise awareness about the principles and work of the UN to local communities.

What I found to be most helpful and most intriguing was sitting in a room full of professionals across cultures, and generations to learn about the city that I grew up in and how to use the Global Goals to make life better for all Detroiters. I have been following the cultivation of the Global Goals for some time now and I was so excited in September when the goals were adopted at the UN General Assembly. It is one thing to know the Global Goals and promote them. It is another thing entirely to actually sit in a room full of professionals, many of them elders, to discuss how four of the Global Goals are particularly relevant to Detroiters.

Today I had an opportunity to partake in a real world conversation about what Detroit should look like by year 2030 through the lens of four of the Global Goals. I hope The Henry Ford Health System and Wayne State Law School will continue on this journey and have all of us back to discuss the additional Global Goals and how they may impact local Detroit neighborhoods.